EFCC allegedly freezes Osun Government salary account

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has allegedly frozen an Osun State Government account domiciled with First Bank.

It was gathered that the account, which is used for the payment of workers’ salaries, was placed on a “post-no-debit” restriction by the anti-graft agency.

The development came hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state’s accounts ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor also claimed that the anti-graft agency was planning to freeze the personal accounts of top government officials.

According to the statement, Adeleke said there was no legal basis or justification for freezing the state’s accounts, insisting that the EFCC has no legal authority to freeze the account of a state government.

However, a source close to the governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the account had already been frozen as of the time of filing this report.

“I can tell you that the state government’s account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. In a few minutes, the governor will address the press to update the public on the situation,” the source said.